Bloomfield Police Charge 3 Newark Men With Gas Station Robbery

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Authorities charged three Newark men with robbery after they allegedly held up a Bloomfield gas station at gunpoint earlier this month, authorities said.

According to the Bloomfield Department of Public Safety, Quashawn Johnson, 19, Jamal Williams, 27, and Saheem Martin, 29, all of Newark, have been identified as the men who robbed the Shell gas station on Watchung Avenue in Bloomfield on the night of Jan. 10.

Bloomfield police originally reported that men in a black Range Rover pulled into the station and asked the attendant for $20 of gas. After the employee dispensed the gas and collected payment, the vehicle backed up and one of the men got out of the rear passenger seat, brandishing a silver handgun.

When the gun-toting man demanded money, the station attendant gave him $383 from the register in his booth. Another man then grabbed the original $20 bill and got back into the front seat of the car, police said.

The vehicle fled the scene eastbound on Watchung Avenue toward the Garden State Parkway, police said.

On Jan. 24, Bloomfield police shared the following update on social media:

“After this incident occurred, a broadcast to surrounding towns was transmitted giving the information of the suspects' vehicle. In the early morning of Jan. 11, the Newark Police Criminal Intelligence Unit notified Bloomfield detectives that they made an arrest on a motor vehicle stop with handguns in the vehicle. The persons arrested fit the description of the armed robbery suspects from the Shell gas station robbery in Bloomfield... The Newark Police Criminal Intelligence Unit notified Bloomfield police detectives that these suspects were found with a similar handgun used in the gas station robbery.”

Johnson, Williams and Martin were brought to the Essex County Correctional Facility, where Bloomfield detectives identified them and filed charges of robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon and conspiracy.

"I would like to thank our responding officers for immediately filing a complete report of the armed robbery moments after it was reported, which enabled us to communicate quickly with our partnering law enforcement officers,” Director of Public Safety Samuel DeMaio said.

“This efficient work directly led to the identification of the suspects and their vehicle, which was stolen,” DeMaio said. “The Newark Police Department is always a great partner in preventing, and solving crime, and we appreciate their assistance in this matter. Our officers in the Bloomfield Detective Bureau filed affidavits and search warrants which gathered strong evidence linking our three suspects to the Jan. 10 robbery.”

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